Lancashire will take in more Syrian refugees than any other council in England

600 Syrian refugees will be housed in the county with Gloucestershire and Kent taking in 560 and 520 respectively.

St Matthews councillor Roy Leeming said: “I was very happy to note that Lancashire will be doing its bit to help to support the Syrian Refugees.

“In Preston we are expecting that five families will arrive in early September and already members of the various faith groups and communities are investigating ways that we can help to ensure that the families are supported when they arrive

“Preston has a proud record of supporting people in need and I believe that as always we will step up to the mark once again.”

Arrangements have been made to house 8,146 of the 20,000 refugees David Cameron has promised to house.

However, more than a third of councils in England have refused to take in refugees due to the cost of supporting and housing them.

Local Government Chronicle editor Nick Golding said: “The British government’s offer was initially limited to funding humanitarian assistance in the countries surrounding Syria to which the vast majority of refugees fled.

“Public disquiet eventually forced it to promise sanctuary to 20,000 refugees deemed particularly vulnerable. It falls to councils to offer places to refugees in each area.

“Some are already struggling to manage the impact of immigration

“Some, especially in London, are unable to offer housing support to people who grew up locally, such is the pressure on housing.

“Whenever there is significant new immigration, it is essential that communities remain cohesive.”

The Times has previously reported that councils only receive between 70-80% of the costs of housing a refugee.